


I Miss You James

by Keithisgay



Series: I Love You Keith [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Black Paladin Keith (Voltron), F/F, Gay Keith (Voltron), M/M, Mentioned James Griffin (Voltron), Missing Persons, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Paladins, part of a series
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-24
Updated: 2020-10-25
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:15:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 15,818
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27181660
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Keithisgay/pseuds/Keithisgay
Summary: This comes after the book I Love You Keith. Keith, Pidge, Hunk and Lance have rescued Shiro, and been sent to space in the blue lion! What will they find? Who will they meet?  What does space have in store for these heroes? Will they ever make it back home to the ones they love? Will Shiro make it back to Adam? Will Earth be safe?
Relationships: Adam/Shiro (Voltron), Allura & Lance (Voltron), Allura/Lance (Voltron), James Griffin/Keith (Voltron), Keith & Pidge | Katie Holt, Keith/Lance (Voltron), MFE Pilots & Voltron Paladins
Series: I Love You Keith [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1984150
Comments: 1
Kudos: 8





	1. AN

So, if you're reading this, make sure that you've read my other book, "I Love You Keith", because otherwise parts of this won't make sense. None of the art in this is mine, its stuff I find online.

This is an original story written by me, and is featuring Jeith/Jaith, Shadam/Adashi,plus some Alurance and Klance. If you don't like, don't read. Comments are always welcome, and please leave kudos if you like it! Thank you 


	2. Anger

Shiro POV 

After we got back to the castle after fighting Sendak, a second time, I approached Allura and Coran. "So, uh, what exactly are Alteans? Are you guys like humans or something?" Allura smiles at me "Well, yes, in some ways. We seem to have very similar physical and biological structures, but Alteans are more in touch with their quintessence. And we have stronger quintessence as well. Otherwise we're practically the same." I nodded "Huh." "Aand, we don't get injured as easily. Like you friend, Keith was it?" Coran added. "What's wrong with Keith?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. He seemed fine to me. "Well, something is definitely bothering him. Did you see his mind during the training exercise? He kept seeing someone. But then he'd shake his head and they'd disappear." I nodded silently. It must've been James. "I'm surprised you didn't notice number 1. You two seem very close." Coran said. "We are. He's my little brother." "Welk then you should go check on him. He doesn't seem well." Allura said, and I nodded. "Of course. Later."

I walked away, and began looking for Keith. I heard clanging from the training room, and figured that it must be him. None of the others like physical activity of any kind. I walked in and saw Keith with his bayard, trying to fight the bot. "UGH! JUST FUCKING DIE ALREADY AND GO!" He yelled, slashing at the bot. It easily dodged him and swung the butt of its spear at his ribs. He fell back on his ass, grunting. "End training sequence." I called, and the bot disappeared. Keith looked towards me and sighed. "What do you want?" "What? I disappear for almost a year and you don't want anything to do with me? I just wanted to talk." He sat up and motioned to the floor next to him. "Sure. Have a seat. What did you want to talk about?" He asked."Well, what happened? On Earth?" I asked, sitting down. "Um, Adam started drinking for a little, but Mrs.Holt got him to stop. Uh, Iverson cried when he told us about what happened." "What about you?" Keith shrugged. "I was pretty messed up at first, but I got over it." I chuckled "I meant you and James. How's he been?" Keith smiled "Oh, we've been great. We went stargazing at that shack I had, and we celebrated his birthday too." I raised an eyebrow "I bet that's not the only thing you guys did there." His cheeks went light pink and he pointed at me. "Shut up, you and Adam have done worse. And every morning and night, he texts me "I love you."" "Wait, why would he text you? Why not tell you?" They were sharing room, they could just tell each other. "Because. And he stayed with us during summer, and we went to the beach, and, and, oh no." 

Keith's eyes widened. "Shiro! He doesn't know where I am!" He said, grabbing my shoulders. "James doesn't know where I am! Neither does Adam! Shiro I left them! I left him! I left James!" He cried, a look of panic in his eyes. "Whoa whoa Keith, calm down." "Calm down? CALM DOWN? I LEFT THEM!" He yelled, standing and starting to pace the room. "Adam already lost you and now he thinks he lost me! Nobody knows where we are! What about Mrs.Holt? Or Veronica? Or Hunk's family? Shiro, no one knows where we are!" I stood and wrapped my arms around him. "Shh, Keith it'll be fine. Time is different in space. For all we know we've only been gone a few hours, not days." "NO ITS NOT FINE!" He yelled, pushing me away. "THEY PROBABLY THINK WE'RE DEAD TOO! YOU KNOW THE GARRISON! THEY'LL COVER IT UP!" "Keith, please, calm down." "CALM DOWN? CALM DOWN? YOU DON'T GET TO DISAPPEAR FOR ALMOST A YEAR AND GET TO TELL ME WHAT TO DO! YOU WERE GONE SHIRO! FOR A YEAR! You didn't see Adam when you left. He was so sad. He cried a lot. Then we found out you were missing, then dead and it broke him. A grown man, Shiro. And he cried for weeks. How is it gonna be for James? To think that I'm dead? He's gonna think that I'm dead. Shiro, he gonna think I'm dead." His shoulders drooped and he fell into me. "He's gonna think I'm dead." He whimpered into my chest. I started patting his hair. "Keith, no he won't. He knows how fucking stubborn you can be. He knows no one can get rid of you. But you'll get back to him. Okay? I promise, no matter how long it takes, we'll get back to them, okay?" He nodded into my chest silently. "Okay Shiro." He muttered.

I held him for a little bit longer, and he stepped back. "Uh, alright. I'm gonna, I'm gonna go to sleep. Uh, thanks." I smiled. "Anytime." He headed towards the exit, and just as he reached the door I called out - "I love you lil bro!" He turned and smiled at me. "I know." And left. 

I smiled to myself. He'd say it too, in due time. It was going to take some getting used to, this alien thing. But we'd adapt. Eventually.


	3. Team Bonding

Lance POV

"ATTENTION PALADINS! YOU ARE NEEDED IN THE MAIN ROOM!" Coran announced over the intercom. I groaned and got out of bed. This had better not be another drill. "Ah, number 3! good to see you! Are you ready for today's training exercise?" Coran asked with a smile. "Mhm sure." "Yeah, uh, Hi, what are we doing?" Hunk asked. "Well, now that you're able to form Voltron, you need to be able to work together." Allura said. Allura was beautiful. Flowing whit hair, bright, bright blue eyes, smooth skin, rocking body.. wait not right now Lance, be PG. "But we did well yesterday. And we already did team work drills." Pidge said. "Yes number 5, but it wasn't the best. You almost fell several times, and are out of sync." Coran said. "Yes, Lonce, if you're going to do a kick, you need to warn the others." "And actually hit what you're kicking." Keith muttered. "Hey, shut your quiznak." I said. "I still don't think you're using that word correctly." He said, glaring at me. "Keith, Lance, not right now. Sorry, what were you saying princess?" Shiro said. "Thank you Shiro. Now, we're going to do team bonding exercises. Trust falls, the maze again, and Pidge has informed me of this delightful Earth game called Truth or Dare. so we'll be doing that as well." Fuck fuck fuck fuck not truth or dare. Pidge always has the worst stuff. "Uh, Princess, how about we don't do that?" Shiro said. "Well why not?" She asked. "Uh, that doesn't always end well. And some things just shouldn't be shared." I said. Allura sighed. "Oh all right. We won't do that today. But we will sometime in the future." "But for now, it's time for TEAM BONDING!" Coran announced, a huge smile on his face.

We spent the next few hours doing trust falls, the maze, and other weird team building exercises. We went down the line doing trust falls, and I may or may not have let Keith fall. Then we did duo drills, and I had Keith for all of them, because Allura and Coran determined that we had the most issues. We had to press our back together and stand up. "Lance, you're not pushing hard enough." He grumbled. "No, you're pushing too hard." I said, pushing his back hard. "Hurry up guys. Everyone else is already done. We're just waiting for you." Pidge said. I groaned. "See Mullet? You're messing us up." "You know what? Fuck you." Keith said. Then he lurched forward, and I somehow ended up on my feet in front of him. Holy shit Keith had flipped me. "There, we're done. What's next?" He asked, as if he hadn't just flipped someone. "Wow number 4. That was very impressive." Coran said in awe. "Yes Keith! That was excellent! Where did you learn to do that?" Allura asked, smiling brightly. Keith shrugged. "Saw it in a movie once. Are we done?" "Keith, manners." Shiro said, looking at him pointedly. "Its alright Shiro, it has been a long day. Yes, we're done. For now." Allura said. Keith nodded and left, hands in pockets.

"What's his problem?" I asked. "Uh, I don't know. It's Keith. He's always been kinda moody." Hunk said. "Yeah, especially with recent events." Pidge added. "Well that was all his fault." I said. "Wait, what happened?" Shiro asked, a look of confusion on his face. "Uh, I think its best if he tell you that." Pidge said. "But he won't tell me anything!" Shiro groaned. "Well, number 4 seems like a very distant person. And he's probably still adjusting to all of this. the lions, Galra, Sendak, Pidge trying to run away." Coran said, rubbing his chin. "Yeah,and, and you actually being alive, cause he thought you were dead for a long time." Hunk added. "Perhaps he misses someone from Earth." Allura suggested. "Like who?" I scoffed. "Keith was a loner. He knew people, but they weren't his friends. They're the exact same whether or not he's with them." Shiro glared at me. "Lance, you may not have the best relationship with Keith, but he did have friends. You shouldn't say thing like that." I put my hands up in a "Okay I get it" way. "Okay, jeez, chill out." And left.

Stupid Mullet. Always ruining my fun. I'm finally rid of him, and he shows up to claim my hero role. Then he has a house, and knows where to find a magic lion. And he gets the coolest lion, after Blue of course. And he can't just be the cool mysterious paladin, he has to be the strong snarky one too. How the hell did he flip me anyway? I heard clanging, and headed towards it. It was Keith, of course. He was fighting the bot, and seemed to be doing pretty well. His lips were moving too. I wonder what he's saying....

"Stupid... mother fucking.... son if a... team bonding? Invisible maze.... stupid lion, stupid Voltron, why can't I just go home? I didn't sign up for this...." he said. "Hey, the lions are NOT stupid Mullet." He whipped his head around and glared at me. "What do you want Lance? Can't you see I'm busy?" He said, turning back to the bot and hitting it one last time, finishing it. It fell to the ground in a crippled heap of metal, then disappeared. "Hey, don't automatically assume that I have an ulterior motive. I was just walking around and heard you." I protested. "Uh, sure." Keith said, rolling those stupid purple eyes of his. "I'm serious! I just wanted to learn where you learned that flip thing." Keith shrugged. "I saw it in a movie. Now, if you're done interregating me, can I go now?" I moved out of the doorway and he brushed past me, a scowl set on his face. What a waste of a pretty face. He should be smiling, then he'd look much better. Wait, wHaT? I did not just think of KEITH as PRETTY. No, I meant Allura. I could never like Mullet head. Never.

Right?


	4. Heat Preservation

Lance POV 

"Alright paladins, in light of recent events, the Castle is in dire need of repair. In order to do so, we must divert power from all nonessential operations. That means no pool, training simulator, or heat." Allura said. "What? No heat? Why?" I exclaimed. The Castle was cold enough when we had heat. Now, it'd be like living in a freezer. "Wha-why?" Keith asked. "Well, we need to fully restart the Castle, which will take a while. And in order to keep the oxygen generators on, and the food goo distributor going, we need to divert power from things like heat and water to keep them on." Pidge said, adjusting her glasses. "Yeah. So we had to choose between air and food and heat. So we chose air." Hunk said. "But its going to be freezing!" Keith whined. "Ah, but we've accounted for that number 4. We'll be handing out extra blankets, along with some other things. But since we only have so many blankets, two of you will have to share." Coran said. "Yes. Me, Pidge, Coran, Hunk and Shiro will be alone. Keith, you and Lonce will have to share." Allura said. "What? I have to share with Mullet? No way!" Me and Keith? Sharing a bed? Not happening. His gay ass will probably try and fuck me. I may be bi, but I didn't like Keith that way. Nope, not happening. "Really? There's no other way?" Keith asked. "Why can't I share with Shiro? He's my brother, it'd be less weird." "Sorry little bro, but no can do. Last time I slept next to you, Matt took a picture and spammed me with it for months. And you're a blanket hog." Shiro said, and Keith glared at him. "Wait, you mean the one where you guys are in the chair? That's adorable!" Pidge exclaimed. "Keith was so small! I think I have it on my phone!" She said, whipping it put and scrolling through it. "Ah, here it is!" She showed us all the picture, and Allura cooed. "Aww, that's adorable. Keith, what happened?" Keith glared at her. "Life. Are you sure there's not a way in which I can sleep by myself?" Allura nodded. "Positive. Now, you have a few minutes before we turn the heat off. I suggest you get your things." The others left and I turned to Keith. "We're sleeping in my room. Get your crap and get in there. Let's just get this over with." He nodded and went to get his things. I sighed and went to my room, falling onto my bed. Why did I have to get Keith of all people? Could my day get any worse?

Time Skip

It did. Since they turned off the power, Hunk couldn't cook actual food, we just had to eat plain food goo. All of us were feeling the effects of the lack of heat already. Pidge was walking around in a cocoon of blankets, Hunk had tried (and failed) to make hot cocoa, and Keith looked like a red popsicle. He refused to use any blanket, and insisted that he was fine in his little red jacket and gloves. But you could tell that he was freezing his butt off. "C-Coran, how much longer?" He shivered. "Several more hours my boy. Are you sure you're alright? You look rather cold." Coran said, starting to go into space-uncle mode. Keith nodded. "Y-yeah. I'm just not used to this. Texas is pretty hot most of the time. I'm used to the sun and 80 degree+ weather." "Are you sure? We can't have you getting sick." Shiro said, going into dad mode. "Shiro, I'll be fine. I'm just gonna go lie down." 

He headed towards my room and I sighed. "I should probably check on him, shouldn't I?" "Yes." The others said in unison. "Oh, and Lance, don't be surprised if he ends up clinging to you in the morning. Keith is kinda cuddly." Shiro warned. I scoffed. "Yeah right. I'll believe it when I see it." And went to my room. 

When I got there, Keith was already n my bed, in a lump of blankets. "Aww Mullet, come on!" I whined. "Fuck off. I'm cold." He muttered from his lump. "At least scoot over! I need to sleep too." Keith said nothing, but moved so that he was next to the wall. "Thanks you." I said, sighing. He grunted in response. I rolled my eyes and went to my bathroom. Cuddly my ass. Keith was the definition of an emo teen. I put my pajamas on and got into bed. 'Hey, look, you stay on your side, and I'll stay on mine. Deal?" I said, and Keith nodded. He was already half asleep, and had burrowed into the blankets. He was kinda, cute. His face was relaxed, his breathing slow. His messy bangs fluttered up and down with each breath.... no Lance, stop. You don't like Keith. You can't like Keith. You're just tired. yeah, yeah that's right. I'm just tired. Keith isn't pretty. I laid down and closed my eyes, and was asleep the second my head hit the pillow.

I woke up the next morning, my arm numb, but my body warm. I tried to move it, but it wouldn't budge. It's like it was stuck. I glanced over to see what it was, and nearly had a heart attack. WHAT THE HELL WAS KEITH DOING IN MY ROOM? Wait, wait, that's right. The heat thing. But he was really close. I could almost reach out and touch his face... Shit he was REALLY close. Like really close. WAY too close. I could feel his breath on my face, and see his bangs flutter up and down. Shit. I thought. He's kinda cute... Oh no, I might like Keith.


	5. Where is Keith?

James POV

The last month and a half had been unbearably long. I had barely been able to talk to Keith, and kept having tests or extra homework. I was still texting Keith "I love you" every morning and night, but he had stopped responding. But I wasn't worried about it. Knowing him, he had probably forgotten to charge it, or had lost it somewhere in the house or shack house in the dessert. But luckily, I'd get to tell him in person today. It was October 23, his birthday, and today, me and Adam were going to see Keith. Finally, after getting close to two months, I'd get to see him again.

"Hey James! You ready to go?" Adam asked, popping into the doorway of my room. I smiled and stood "Fuck yes." We left the Garrison, got in the truck, and headed to their house. I was almost bouncing with excitement in my seat. I really missed Keith. This had been the longest few weeks of my life. When we pulled up to the house I ran to the door. I went to knock, then noticed that it was unlocked. Huh, that's odd. I thought but I brushed it off. Keith had probably just forgotten to lock the door. I went inside and saw a decent sized layer of dust on everything. I shook my head. Keith was never the neatest person. "Keith! We're back!" I called. No response. Maybe he was asleep? I headed to his room, expecting to see a lump of blanket, but there was nothing. "Keith?" I Called, now concerned. Maybe he was in the garage. Or out for a ride. "I went to the living room ,and Ada m shook his head. "He's not here. And the bike's gone too. Do you have any idea where he might be?' He asked. "Uh, yeah. He found this house in the dessert. Maybe he's there." I said, heading back outside. "Really? Well he must be staying there, because I don't see any food or trash in here. It looks abandoned." My eyes widened and I ran outside. I ran in what I thought was the direction of the shack, never once stopping.

Please please please be there. Come on Keith, where are you? I thought. I finally saw the shack, and almost let out a sigh of relief. As I got closer, I realized that his bike wasn't there. I threw open the door, and began searching the house, calling Keith's name. "Keith? Keith! Come on, this isn't funny. Keith?" I called, looking in each of the rooms. No one was there. "James? James!" I heard someone call. "Keith?" I asked, whipping my head around. Maybe he was here. But instead, Adam appeared. "Sorry, its just me. Is he here?" I shook my head, shoulders slumping. "No. And his bike's gone too. Where else could he be?" Adam sighed. "I don't know. When's the last time you talked to him?" He asked. I shrugged. "I don't know. A week or so ago? I've had a lot to do lately. What if he thought I forgot about his birthday? Or him? Maybe he went into town to get something! Let's go check!" I suggested, moving to go out the door. But Adam stopped me, grabbing my upper arm. "James, if he's not here, and he wasn't home, he might be missing. We need to call the authorities." I shook my head. "Wha-what? No, he's not missing. He's probably just out for a ride or something. He'll be back soon. I know it." Adam smiled softly. "James, I want to believe that too, I really do. But you said it yourself, it's been weeks since you heard from him. And it looks like no one's been here for a while. We need to call the cops." "What? No! I'm sure he's fine. He'll show up any minute now, just watch." I protested. Keith can't be gone. This isn't happening. "James, I'm sorry, but he's gone." "No no no no no." I muttered. "No no no no no no no NO! He can't be gone!" I cried. I sat down on the edge of something. and the room started spinning. Everything started getting blurry, and I couldn't breathe. "James! James! You need to calm dow-" And everything went black.

I woke up, groaning. A pair of arms wrapped around me. "Oh, thank god you're okay." They said. "What?" What did they mean? Of course I was okay. They pulled back and I saw their face. It was Adam, and he had what looked like tear streaks running down his face. "Adam? What's wrong?" "James, Keith's missing." I felt like I had just been hit by a bullet train. Keith was... gone? "What?" I asked in disbelief. "James, Keith is missing. So is Pidge, Hunk and Lance. The Garrison is having an entire investigation." "Wha- Keith?" I asked. I could barely hear my own voice. I looked around and saw flashing lights and a bunch of Garrison vehicles. "Quadrant 5, clear. No sign of cadets." "8 clear. no sign of human life." "Keep searching. Those three cadets families want answers." Iverson said into a radio. "No no no no no no no no no." I muttered. My Keith? My Kitten? He was gone? I felt my shoulders start t shake, and hot tears started streaming down my face. He was really gone. For real. It wasn't a joke. He'd gone for a ride and never come back. My Keith was gone. I started sobbing, and felt Adam's arms wrap around me. "I know James. I know." He muttered, rubbing my back. 

"I know."


	6. Missions

Shiro POV

  
Paladins, to the bridge! We need you!" I yelled into the comms. Keith, Pidge, Hunk and Lance came running into the room. "Shiro, what's happening?" Keith asked, looking around frantically. I smiled "We have our first mission." I turned towards the Castle's screen, and Coran started pushing buttons. "This planet, Roku, is being held by Galra forces. The Olkari have obtained intel that there's some crucial supply routes going through there. Our job is to find them and destroy them." I said. "Wouldn't it be better if we waited to do that? Voltron isn't up to full power yet, and we're still getting used to our lions." Pidge asked. "Yeah, I'm with Pidge. This doesn't sound like a good idea." Hunk said in agreement. "Well, we're not gonna get any better just sitting around or running drills. The only way tp get better is real life training." Keith said, crossing his arms. "What do you know Mullet?" Lance said. "I know that you don't get any better by being lazy Lance. You wanna sit on your ass all day, fine. But do it when we're not at war." Keith said, stepping towards him. "Keith." I said, looking at him pointedly. He sighed and backed off. "Well, you guys have your orders. It's time to suit up."

BIG TIME SKIP CAUSE I FUCKING CAN

Voltron has already successfully completed many missions, and Shiro had regained his memory. They met Ulaz, and sadly, saw him die. They've weakened Zarkon's link to the Black lion, and are now in search of the base of the Blade of Marmora.

Keith POV

That blade.. it's like the one I have. Where did Ulaz get that? I ran back to my room after the mission, and immediately pulled out my knife. I unwrapped the hilt, and examined the gem on it. It was just like Ulaz's. Maybe whoever gave this to me was part of the Blade... My train of thought was interrupted when I heard someone open the door. I shoved the knife under my pillow and stood to greet them. It was Coran. "Ah, hello number 4. Good to see you. I was just wondering how you were doing. You seemed a bit off after the mission." "Its not exactly easy seeing someone die Coran." He nodded. "Ah, yes, it isn't. My apalogies." He started walking away, and I let out a sigh of relief. Finally, some quiet time. I could study the blade, maybe find out what it is. Wait, Coran would know. Maybe it was Galra. I ran out of my room and began searching for Coran. I finally found him down one of the many halls. "Wait! Coran!" I called. He turned and smiled at me. "Yes number 4?" "Is it, is it possible for the Galra to have been on Earth? Did the Blue lion have a Galran paladin?" I asked. "Um, no. Only the Black one. Why?" I sighed. "No reason, just wondering." The door next to me opened, and I was greeted with Lance. In one of his face masks. I had to restrain myself from laughing, remembering the prank we pulled on him our first year at the Garrison. "What's this about Blue?" He asked, glaring at me. "N-nothing. Just wondering is all." "Lookie here Mullet, Blue is my lion, and we're very happy together. Very happy." "Who whoa Lance, I'm not trying to steal Blue. She's all yours." "Uh, sure. Just admit, you've had your eye on her since day one." He said, jabbing my chest with his finger. "Well, yeah, she's the first one we found-" He put his finger on my lips. "Ah buh buh, no. You have Red, and I have Blue. That's how things work. Don't go trying to steal my lion." "I would never-!" I started, but he covered my mouth with his hand. "I don't care. Just leave me and my lion alone." "Kinda hard to do when you won't leave me alone." I said into his hand. "What?" He asked, removing his hand. "I said fine." I snapped. Dammit, all I did was ask a question, why does Lance have to get all up in my business? I like Red, and I'd never try and take Blue. "Sure you are Keithy boy." Lance said, closing his door.

I sighed and continued down the halls, not stopping until I reached the training room. "Begin training sequence 8." I called, summoning my bayard and getting in a fighting stance. I really needed to hit something.


	7. Blade of Marmora

Keith POV 

Me and Shiro arrived at the base and were greeted by two BOM members. They escorted us inside, one of them glaring at me the whole time. Once inside, we found a few dozen other BOM members. "Greeting paladins. I am Kolivan, leader of the Blade of Marmora." The one in the front said. One of the guards who brought us in whispered in his ear, and he turned to us. "I thought we told you to come unarmed." "We did. And the lions are the closest we get to an ID." Shiro said. "I was not referring to Red." The agent who had been glaring at me tackled me to the ground, and took my knife from me. "H-hey! Give it back!" I said, squirming under his touch. "This is one of ours. Where did you get this? Did you steal it?" Kolivan questioned, examining my knife. "No, I've had it as long as I can remember." I said, trying to free myself of the agents grip. "Shiro, is this true?" Kolivan asked. "I-I don't know." "Shiro please, you know me. I'm your brother. I didn't steal it. Someone gave it to me." I pleaded. "Keith, where did you get this? Who gave it to you?" Shiro asked, glaring at me. "I-i don't remember. Shiro, its moms. That's all I know. Please, you have to believe me." I pleaded. Shiro shook his head. "That, that's impossible. You don't even remember our parents, how can you know this is moms?" "I just know! Shiro please, you have to believe me!" I cried. "No Galran has ever been to Earth. Leave. You are no longer welcome here." Kolivan declared, and the agent let go of me. "Fine. Keith, let's go." Shiro said, grabbing my arm. I wretched it from his grip. "No! I need to find out more! Shiro please! I don't know anything about our parents! This is my one chance to learn something! At least give me the chance!" "The only way is through the Trials. Only then will you gain the knowledge you seek." Kolivan said. "No! Keith we have to get back!" Shiro said, grabbing my arm again. "Fuck off Shiro! I'm doing this!" I growled, and he let go. "Fine. I won't stop you." Kolivan nodded. "Good. Get the red one a suit. Shiro, come with me."

The agent took me and outfitted me with a BOM suit, and gave me the knife. I was then sent into the first arena, facing a singular BOM agent. "Surrender the blade." He said. "Never." I responded. We charged, and so began my fights. 1, 2, 3, 4 agents against me. 5,8,9, on and on. I was in agonizing pain. Everything hurt. I needed to stop. But if I gave up, I would fail, and they'd take the knife. I couldn't let that happen. I needed answers. 

It got to the point where I could barely walk anymore. I wanted to give up so badly, but I couldn't let them take the knife. I needed to rest. I had noticed that all the agents came form moving platforms in the floor. Maybe they lead somewhere. So in my next fight, I threw my knife into one of them, and jumped down into it. I stumbled out of the elevator lift thing, and into a wide room. "I guess I really wasn't supposed to go through that door." I muttered. I took a few steps forward, and everything went black.

"Keith? Keith.. come on, get up." A voice said. Hold on, I recognize that voice. I opened my eyes slowly. "Shiro?..." I trailed off, and he smiled at me. "Yeah buddy, its me. You did good. Kolivan said you lasted longer than anyone else. But now its time to go." "What? No!" I said, sitting up. "Keith, just give them the knife. It's not worth your life." Shiro persisted, giving me the dad look. "No! Don't you get it? This is all I have of our parents. Of mom. I need to find out more." I said, struggling to stand. "Keith, no. Give u[p already. Just give up." Shiro said, his voice getting echoy. "Never!" I said, finally standing. "Then I can't help you. You're on your own Keith." Shiro said, walking out f the room I looked at the knife in my hand and sighed. as much as I hated to admit it, Shiro was right. It wasn't worth it. "Shiro! Wait!" I called, after him, reaching my hand out. I tried running after him, but everything went black again.

I found myself in the shack/house again, with a strange man in front of me. "Who- who are you?" I asked. The man smiled. "Keith, do you really not remember me? After all these years, did you really forget what your father looked like?" "Wha- you're my father?" I asked in disbelief. This, THIS was my dad. I finally knew what he looked like. "Yes, Keith, it's me. Your mother will be here soon. Don't you want to see her?" He asked, still smiling, In his hands was my knife. "She can tell you what this means. She'll answer all your questions in just a minute. Just wait a little bit longer." I shook my head. "But I don't have time to wait! I've been waiting my whole life." "Keith, she'll be here soon. Just you wait. She's missed you so much. She loves you." He said, holding the knife out to me. I started to reach for it, and I fell into darkness, my father fading into nothingness.

"Keith?" A voice asked. Their bright brown eyes stared at me, a smile on his face. I felt a smile make its way onto my own face. "James." I sighed. He was here. His hair was combed back, and he was wearing a very nice suit, along with his signature smile. "Hey Kitten. Are you ready?" he asked, holding a hand out to me. "Ready for what?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "For the wedding. Don't tell me you forgot. Shiro and Adam are getting married today." "Really?" Already? But it seemed like just a few weeks ago Shiro had proposed. James threw his head back and laughed. "Of course silly!" He took my hand and ran his thumb over a ring on my finger. "And soon we'll be too." I stared at my hand in disbelief. On it was a silver band, with a violet gem set in it. James laughed at my expression. "Come on Keith. You've had it for months now. You gotta stop staring at it. Now come on, we don't wanna miss the wedding." James said, starting to pull me. And I let him. Was this real? It seemed so life like. "Keith! Keith! Oh my god! KEITH!" Someone cried. "James, what was that?" I asked, stopping and looking around. "What was what?" He asked, still smiling. "KEITH! Come on, wake up!" The same voice cried. "It sounds like Shiro. He's calling me." "What do you mean? Shiro's outside. Are you feeling okay Kitten? You've been acting strange." James said, brushing some of my hair out of my face. "KEITH! WAKE UP!" They called. "James? What's going on?" I asked, slowly backing away and turning around. "A wedding. And we're going to be late. They can't start without the best men, can they?" "KEITH! KOLIVAN WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM?" The voice called. "James? What it that?" I asked, turning to face him once more. But he was gone. There was nothing. Just blank space. "James? James!" I called. "JAMES!" I yelled, starting to run. Then I fell, and everything went black.

I bolted upright, breathing heavily, and took a quick look around. Next to me was a very concerned looking Shiro, along with Kolivan and a few other Blade members. "Keith! Oh thank god you're okay!" Shiro exclaimed, pulling me into a hug. "Impressive. No one has ever made it this far before." Kolivan said, nodding in approval. "You did well kit." I raised an eyebrow. "Kit? What the hell is a "kit"?" "Its a term for a young Galra." A Blade member said. My eyes widened. "Wait, you mean-" "Yes." Kolivan said, staring me in the eyes.

"You're part Galra."


	8. Lost Memories

Keith POV

"I-I'm part GALRA?" I asked. I was sitting on the floor, breathing heavily. He handed me my knife, which I had dropped as some point. "Rise, and take your blade." He said. I struggled to stand, and took the knife. "Stand back." Kolivan ordered, and everyone took a step back. Then, to their shock and mine, the knife started to glow, and it morfed into a sword. "He has awoken the blade." One of the agents declared. It was one of the ones that brought me in. "But-but how? Does that mean I'm part Galra too?" Shiro asked. Kolivan raised an eyebrow. "Why would you be part Galra?" "Well, I'm his brother." Shiro said, and Kolivan's eyes widened. "This is really what you believe?" He asked, looking back and forth between the two of us. I nodded. "Yes. He's my brother." "Kolivan, perhaps his mother used the forget-me-stick on him." The same agent said. "Antok, that was cute when you were a child. It's not anymore. The EME wouldn't leave him with any memories. She'd have to have created them herself. And if she had, she wouldn't have left the knife." "What are you talking about?" I asked. "What's the forget-me-stick? What's an EME? I completed your stupid trials, so tell me what I want to know." I said, getting annoyed. 

First, they tackle me, steal my knife, accuse me of stealing, beat the crap out of me, and now they won't give me a straight answer? What the fuck? "The EME is an piece of equipment that Blades who are on spy missions have. It cause whoever they zap with it to forget seeing them. They can also implant memories in your mind." "So what? What are you saying?" This was getting more and more confusing by the second. "She implanted memories in your mind of your time with Shiro. You are not brothers. Not by blood." I took a step back as me and Shiro stared at him in shock. "We'll need to attach you to some of our equipment in order for the older memories to resurface." "Wait wait wait, you're saying that my entire childhood is a lie?" I asked."Keith, what exactly about your childhood do your remember?" Kolivan asked. "Um, bits and pieces. Not a lot before being in the system with Shiro." I answered shamefully. I really didn't remember anything about it. "So it's possible that you two were just grouped together. Made as siblings." "No. We are. Just because I don't remember it doesn't mean it isn't real. you're saying my entire life as a child is a lie?" I asked, and Kolivan shook his head. "Only parts of it. No doubt your earliest memories, or anything about your parents. Now come. The process is a long and difficult one." He walked out of the room, motioning for us to follow.

He led us too a relatively small room, with lots of computer screens and some big tables. "Here. Lie down, and we will attach the proper technology. But be warned, this can cause severe pain. Your mind will consciously be fighting itself, trying to hold on to what it believes is real. It will be fighting the truth of your childhood. It may believe that it is protecting itself from harmful memories, and in turn reject the undoing of the fabricated memories. It's also very possible that she only used it on your memories of her, and it affected you, also tampering your memories of your father. Your half Galra DNA might react differently to our technology then full-blooded Galra. It could have hidden them, and replaced them with your current memories. You might forget those things. Are you sure you still wish to proceed?" Kolivan said. I nodded. "Yes." "Keith, are you sure? This sound dangerous." Shiro said. "Shiro, I have to. If it helps me find out anything, anything at all about my mother.... I need to take the risk." "But you might forget our childhood together. All the things we did." Shiro protested. "Those were fake. Given the apparent age difference between you two, I assume she put him in your family when you were young. You would barely remember those things now, even if they were real. You both must undergo the process. It is of the upmost importance." Kolivan declared. "But why? Why can't I just keep believing that they're real?" Shiro asked. "You can believe they are real. We aren't seeking to destroy your memories, only resurface the true ones. You will still have them, they will just be.. different." One of the Blades said. "Shiro, please." I pleaded. "I have to know." He looked at me for a second, surveying the physical damage that had been done to me, along with my pleading eyes. He sighed and hung his head. "Fine. But I still don't like this." Kolivan nodded. "Good. Regeris, prepare them.

Regeris set about attaching wires to us, and messing with the computers. "Alright, are you ready?" He asked, and me and Shiro nodded. "Alright. Initiating sequence." The machines started humming, and then the wires started moving, and everything went black. 

Then, I was back in the shack/house. And the man was there again. But this time, he was holding something. I stepped closer and realized, that that something, was me. "He's adorable, isn't he?" He asked. "Yes. Lucky for him, he has your human genes. Otherwise you'd be holding a purple furry child." a voice said, and my dad laughed. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Do you wanna hold him?" "Of course. He's my son." My dad stepped forward, and everything went white.

Then I was outside, in a parking lot. "Hey Keith. You ready for your first day of day care?" He asked. The little kid next to him, apparently me, who was 3, maybe 4, shook his head silently. "No? Why not?" He asked, kneeling down next to me. "I don't wanna go." I muttered. "But you have to. That way you can learn, and you can make friends." He said softly. "Is mommy gonna be there?" I asked, and his smile fell. "No buddy. She's up there now." He said, gesturing to the sky. I looked up. "She's in space?" I asked, and my dad laughed. "Yeah buddy, she is. but if you go to day care, then you get to go to school. And at school, you learn, and if you do well, maybe one day you'll go to space too." He stood and offered me his hand. "Now come on, let's get you to day care. You don't want to miss your first day do you?" I shook my head and took his hand, and together we walked into the school.

Then, I was outside, surrounded by a bunch of different people There was a building on fire,, and everyone was watching it intently. "As you can see, the fire behind me has grown into massive proportions. The apartment complex is almost completely burned down, and there are still three people trapped inside." Some reporter said, then some men came bursting out of the building, carrying people. "Oh, but it looks like the fire crew had gotten two more of them out. There's only one person left inside." "Dad! Dad!" I called, and he looked at me and smiled. "Hey buddy." "CHIEF! TEX! There's still one more person inside, but the buildings about to collapse. What do we do?" Another man said, running up to him. "We get them out." My dad said, a look of determination setting on his face. "But-but sir, it's to dangerous. If we send someone in, they might die." "And if we don't send someone in, then that person is definitely going to die. We have to at least try. I'm going in." "But-but sir-" "I know the risk. And I'm willing to take it." My dad said, and the other fireman relented. "Alright. Be careful chief." My dad smiled. "I always am." Then, I ran over to him, tears on my face. "Dad! Daddy!" I cried, and he smiled at me, picking me up and pulling me into a hug. "Don't go!" I cried, clinging to him tightly. "I have to buddy. But don't worry, I'll come back. Okay?" He kissed my cheek. "I love you Keith." "I love you too daddy." I replied, and he set me down. The other fireman led me farther away from the fire as my father stepped back into it.

It was silent for a minute, and you could've heard a pin drop. Then a BOOM was heard, and another, and another. I heard a scream from inside, and something break. Then a figure appeared in the fire, holding someone else. A cheer went up from the people. My dad had made it, and he had gotten the other person. But then another BOOM went, and the building started falling down. My dad started running towards us, the limp person in his arms slowing him down. One final BOOM sounded, loud and clear, and the building fell, and I saw my father become engulfed in flames. The fireman covered me with his body, and I screamed. Loud and high pitched. "DADDY!"

Then I was in a graveyard, staring at a tombstone. "Here lies Texas Kogane. XXXX-XXXX. Father, friend, and leader." I was maybe 4, and had tears streaming down my face. 

Then I was in a office, alone. A hand appeared on my shoulder, a big one, covered in a black glove. "Hello Keith. I'm going to take you home, okay?" They said, and I nodded silently. 

Then, I saw my first memory with Shiro. We were outside, and we were headed to school. "Come on Keith! Let's go, we're gonna be late!" He called, and I came running out. "I'm coming! I'm here! Shiro, don't leave without me!" I yelled, crashing into him and grabbing his leg. 

Then I see him picking me up, and throwing me in the air.

Was that fake? Was any of it real? Was Shiro not my brother? Was my life a lie? Was James real? Was what we had real? More parts of my life passed before my eyes. First day if school, going to Six Flags for the first time, Michael and John, Cornyval, meeting Adam. My first day at the Garrison, meeting James and the others. The fight, the hover bike, the sims. James and me at Cornyval, my birthday, our first kiss. Sims, Mario Kart with the others. Going to the beach, the workouts. Shiro leaving, them saying he's dead. The cuts, the crying. James's smile and laughter. Adam with his ring, Lance with his little cousins. Kinkade, Ina, Rizavi, Veronica,Hunk, Pidge. Fighting Lance, decking Iverson, getting kicked out, seeing James at the beach. His birthday, finding the blue lion, all of it. Everything flashed in my eyes in just a second. 

But was it real? Was any of it real?


	9. Reveal

Shiro POV

As I laid on the table, Regeris pushed some buttons, and I saw the machinery start to activate. The wires glowed, in a way, and Keith started squirming. His eyes were squeezed shut, and he looked like he might be in pain. But then he calmed, and smiled softly. I sat up and turned to Kolivan. "Why isn't anything happening to me?" I asked. "It's possible that he was only put into your life when you first remember him. You might never had contact with his mother or any other Blade tech." "What about Keith?" I asked, turning to look at him. He was completely still, with a small smile on his face. "His mother most likely used it on him when he was very young, that way he wouldn't remember her. Its also possible that if there were any traumatic events in his childhood, the EME blocked it as well, either hiding them or fabricating new ones." I nodded silently and continued looking at Keith. So it was true. We really weren't brothers. But I had to care for him like one. We may not be blood, but we're still family. And family sticks together.

All of a sudden, Keith went from softly smiling to withering in pain, and starting to whimper. "Mmm- no! Dad! Don't- no! Dad?" "What's happening?" I asked frantically, rushing to Keith's side. "His mind is reliving his forgotten memories. They must be painful for him to be reacting this way." Keith continued shaking and whimpering, like a dog, small, unintelligible noises. "Sh-Shiro. Shiro! Adam! James! James, James. No no no." He cried, squirming. Then, a big BOOM sounded, and the base shook. "Regeris, what was that?" Kolivan asked. "Um, the Red lion is attacking, sir." Regeris said, turning to the screen and pulling up security footage. Kolivan turned to me. "Call off your beast." He ordered. "I can't. It's Keith's lion. It senses that he's in trouble." I explained. "If you take him out of it, then he can call her off." "No! Doing that could cause irreparable damage! It could cause not only mental, but physical damage as well. We must keep him nuder until the process is complete." Regeris insisted. "But James and Adam weren't part of his childhood. He met them when he was a teen." "Sometimes the equipment causes them to relive other parts of their life as well. But they're instantaneous. He'll be out of it in a few seconds." Another BOOM shook the base, and I could hear the lion roar. "We may not have a few minutes." I answered. The base shook again, and another Blade came running in. "Sir, the Red lion has breached the wall! It's trying to get to the paladin!" They said, obviously distressed. Klovan turned to look at Regeris. "Regeris, how much longer until he comes out?" He opened his mouth to respond at the same moment the Keith shot straight **(haha not)** up, panting and sweating. 

"Keith! Oh thank god!" I said, wrapping my arms around him. "Shi-Shiro, I saw it. He-he died. Shiro he died! In a fire! A FIRE!" He muttered into my shoulder. "Red has fire power. red has fire power. This is some fucked up universe." I pulled back ."Yes, yes it is. Speaking of Red, she's attacking the base." His eyes widened. "She's WHAT? Why?" "Because kit, you were distressed. Your lion sensed that, and assumed you were in danger, so she came to protect you. Now call her off." Kolivan ordered. Keith nodded, and tried to stand, but fell. "Whoa there buddy. You're still pretty banged up." I said, putting his arm over my shoulders. "Come on, let's go get Red." Together, we made our way to the hangar, where Red was currently trying to break through. "Red! RED! I'M OKAY!" Keith yelled, and the lion stopped. She quickly flew to our side and opened her jaw to let us in. "Kolivan, would you like to come with us?" I asked. "I'm sure the Princess would like to meet you." He nodded. "Yes, that seems most important. Perhaps I can also help explain why Keith is so banged up. And we can discuss how we might do joint missions." Then he turned to one of the agents. "Antok, you're in charge while I'm gone. Regeris will help you." "Yes sir." They answered, and Kolivan nodded. "Good. I'm ready to go when you are paladins."

We got into Red, and once we got Keith situated in the lion, she purred. Keith petted her dashboard. "Good kitty. Let's go." We started the trek back to the Castle in complete silence. When we got there, the others rushed to the lion. "What the hell happened in there? Is Keith okay?" Lance asked through the comms, sounding worried. I helped Keith up and responded. "He'll be fine. But we have someone we think you'd like to meet Princess." Red let her jaw down, and me, Keith and Kolivan exited the lion. The other's gasped when they saw Keith's state. "What did you guys do? What did you do to him?" Lance asked, rushing to our side. I was surprised. Lance seemed to be genuinely worried about Keith. "He underwent the Trial of Marmora." Kolivan said. all of their heads turned to him. "And who are you, might I ask?" Allura asked, crossing her arms. Kolivan's eyes widened and he kneeled. "So the rumors are true. It is good to see you alive princess." He said, then stood. "I am Kolivan, leader of the Blade of Marmora." "Well, uh, first of all, hi." Hunk said, waving. "Second, what are the Trials of Marmora?" "The Trials are a series of test to see if one is worthy of joining the Blade's ranks. And, the only way to attain knowledge. The Garla's motto is "Victory or Death." The Blade's is "Knowledge or Death." We must put the mission above all else, even ourselves." Allura pursed her lips. "I don't particularly like that. Nevertheless, it's nice to meet you." She said, extending her hand. Kolivan shook it, with a nod of approval. "I'd like to continue our talks later, if thats alright with you. Keith is going to need a healing pod." "Well no duh! He looks like he was beat to death! what the hell did you do to him?" Lance asked, starting to look mad. "This was my choice Lance. I had to do this." Keith answered. "What? Why?" Pidge asked. Kolivan turned to us. "Should you tell them, or should I?" "Tell us what? Shiro, Keith, what's going on?" Coran asked, and Keith sighed. "Well, uh, guys, I just found out that I, well, this might be hard for you, but

I'm Galra.

Or at least, half Galra. Apparently my mom was. And I don't look like it cause human genes of something. So, yeah." Keith finished. Then his eyes rolled back in his head and he started to fall, but me and Lance caught him. Pidge and Hunk were staring in shock, Coran had a thinking look on his face, and Allura looked furious. Like she wanted to kill both Kolivan AND Keith. Lance however, just looked worried. "Keith is one of Them?" Allura said bitterly. I glared at her. "Hey, he's still Keith. And are you really gonna do that to him?" "Yeah, he's still a paladin. And our friend. He's saved our lives and that of countless others already, and we've only been here for a few weeks. So either help us get him to the pod, or step aside." Lance said, with surprising aggressiveness. "Yes yes, lets get him into a pod." Coran said, rushing over. He helped me and Lance get Keith to the pods and sealed up. "Now, he should be fine in just a quintant or two. Now, let's go find the Princess. We don't want her killing one of our potential allies." Me and Lance nodded, and together the three of us ran to the bridge.


	10. Infiltration

Keith POV

I groaned as the pod opened, and I fell forward, and got caught by someone. "Hey buddy. You good?" They said. Wait, was that LANCE? I looked up at them groggily, and was greeted with Lance's shit eating grin. "What happened?" I asked. "You fell for me." He said, grin growing. I rolled my eyes and pushed him away. "Haha, very funny Lance. Your little lines may work on the Princess, but not me." I said, attempting to step away. but I stumbled, and nearly fell on my ass. Lance stifled a laugh, and grabbed my arm to steady me. "Shut up." I grumbled. "Sure. Just don't fall on your as Mullet." I rolled my eyes. "Ugh. Never mind. How long was I in there?" Lance shrugged. "A quintant or two, give or take a few hours. You were beat up pretty bad." I suppressed the urge to roll my eyes. "No shit Sherlock. What happened while I was out?" I asked, as we made our way to the bridge. "Well, uh, the big guy, Kolivan, started talking to Allura and Shiro about an alliance between the Blade and Voltron. Apparently, they have agents implanted all over the Empire, and spies everywhere, even in Zarkon's inner circle." "Wow. They're even more widespread than I thought." They had agents everywhere? Just exactly how many Blades were there? Lance chuckled. "I know, right? Yeah, he's barely left the bridge, save from necessities like food and the bathroom. But I don't think Allura likes him much." I felt my stomach drop. "Oh." If Allura didn't like the leader of our most powerful possible ally, who's to say she won't like me either? Now that she knows I'm half Galra,

Holy SHIT I'm half GALRA. How am I gonna tell James? And Adam? So what, do I go back to Earth and be like "Hey babe! Hey Adam! I'm back! Oh, and I'm also part alien! Isn't that great? And my entire childhood up until I was like 4 is a lie! And me and Shiro aren't blood brothers either! And my dad died in a fucking fire! And that place I found was our house! So anyway, how you guys been?" I shook my head and chuckled a bit. Yeah, that'd go over REAL well. "What's so funny?" Lance asked. "Hmm? Nothing." "Mmhm, sure." "Hey, why were waiting outside my pod?" I asked. For him to have caught me, he'd have to been waiting. "Oh, well, uh, we'd been taking turns watching the pod. Me and the other paladins I mean. Cause we know people normally fall out of them, and I don't think you need any more brain damage." "Haha, very funny Lance." I said dryly. "you can let of of me now. My legs work." Lance nodded "Oh yeah, right." He backed off, and we continued to the bridge.

When we entered, everyone turned to look at me. "Keith! Good, now we're all here." Shiro said, smiling my way. "Hey! how's it feel being half-Galra? Are you gonna grow a tail? Or turn purple? Are your eyes gonna get all yellow and glowy?" Hunk said, berating me with questions. "Uh, the same, I don't think so, hopefully not, maybe?" I said with a shrug. "I don't know! I just found out." "Yeah Hunk, back off. We can ask him later. We're in a meeting right now." Pidge said. "Thank you, Pidge, was it?" Kolivn asked, and she nodded. "Thank you. Anyway, as of now, we have an operative aboard Zarkon's central command with an virus that will temporarily disable the ships weapons system and power, giving us time to attack. However, we haven't heard from the agent, Thace, in quite sometime. We fear he may have been captured, which blocks us from completing the operation. If we are to continue, we need someone else to go in." He continued, using holo-screens. "Well then send in another Blade." Lance said. "It's not that simple blue paladin. Thace was, IS, part of Zarkon's inner circle. It took years for him to rise that high in the ranks, and if someone just appeared there, there would no doubt be some suspicions. We need someone to sneak aboard the ship and plant the virus. normally, we'd have one of our Blades do it, but almost all of them are away on missions right now. It could take phoebs to track one down." "I'll do it." I declared, stepping forward. "Keith..." Shiro started.

"It makes sense. I'm the fastest of us here, and I'm Galra, so I can interact with their technology. And I've been on the ships before, so I have a good idea of the layout." "He's right. Keith has the highest chance out of all of us to successfully infiltrate the ship. It's decided, the Red paladin will go." "No, it is not decided. I will NOT have one of MY paladins on Zarkon's main ship. I need them to make Voltron." Allura said, sounding mad. "Yeah, without Keith, we can't form Voltron. We don't have extra paladins hanging around the Castle!" Lance said, throwing his arms in the air. "But he is the best man for the job." Kolivan stated, still blank faced. "Why? Because he's Galra?" The princess spat, and Kolivan's eyes narrowed. "Partially. And as we can tell, he has the strongest bond with his lion." "Shiro has a strong bond with his lion! Send him!" Lance exclaimed. "We shouldn't do that. Zarkon might try to take Black again, or Haggar could use her black magic on him. It's too much of a risk to send Shiro." Pidge said, adjusting her glasses. "Okay, so we send Keith. He can take care of himself. He gets in, he gets out, simple." Hunk suggested, and I nodded in agreement. "Yeah. And if all else fails, I kill some sentries and get the fuck out of there." Allura and Shiro sighed. "Fine. What do the rest of us need to do?" He asked. "I'm glad you asked." Kolivan said, creating an even bigger holo-screen. "Each of you have very specific and important parts. If one of you fails, you all fail. Here's what you must do....."


	11. Belly of the Beast

Hunk POV

"Like, I don't get it. Go to the Galra occupied planet to get my lion. Go to a Galra-occupied Balmera to get a crystal. Go into a belly of a beast with the only Galra alien team member. Why do I get all the hard ones?" Keith sighed. "I'm not an alien." "Well, you're kind of are. I mean, more alien than me. Or Pidge. I guess not Allura and Coran, but more alien than the rest of us." "Look, can you just lay off? It's bad enough that allura hates me now, I don't need you guys to hate me too." Keith snapped. "Hey hey, Allura doesn't hate you. You just need to give her time to accept the fact that you're Galra, the race that destroyed her entire planet and all of her people." I blinked a bit, realizing what I just said."Yeah, she might hate you a little bit." Keith threw his hands in the air. "But why? I wasn't even alive when that happened! I'm not even sure Kolivan was alive!" "Well, you guys are the closest she can get to the Galra without having to fight for her life. She might just be venting. and it'll take her some time. Getting used to and alien team member is going to take a while, for everyone." Keith sighed. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Thanks Hunk. You always seem to know what to say to calm people down." I smiled. "Well yeah, I had to deal with Lance. He was pretty pissed after you fight." Keith chuckled. "The first or second one?" 

"Yes. You should've seen Veronica though. She gave him an earful. And Pidge threatened to hack his phone. And James, well, Lance was kinda scared of him." I shook my head, remembering the last time I had seen him. "Really?" Keith asked, voice going soft at the mention of James. Those two were so gay for each other. "Yeah. It was about a week before we left. Me and Lance were walking around, and him and Kinkade were in the gym. They were taking turns holding a punching bag for each other. James kept decking it, over and over, and it looked like he was hurting Kinkade. He told him to calm down, he'd see you soon, and James was all "But I wanna see him now! And if it wasn't for Lance, he'd probably be here." and decked it again. Lance, being the oblivious idiot he is, still doesn't know you guys are dating, so he just thinks you're BFF's. You know James had like, biceps right? A lot of the girls stare at him. And now, Lance is convinced that if he makes him mad, James will try to kill him." Keith let out a soft laugh. "Yeah, he probably would. I wonder what they're doing? Do you think they know we're gone yet? Is time different in space?" I shrugged. "Maybe. I'd have to ask Coran. Speaking of which, we should probably watch that video now." Keith nodded, and I pulled up Coran's video.

"Hello brave Altean. So, you wanna harvet some scaultrite? Well, here's how you do it-shshshshsshshhhs- and make sur you stay away from the- shshshshshhshsshshshshshshsshsh- repeat after me stay away from the -shshshs - or you'll be dead. Shshshshshshshshsshhshsh-" I let out a little whimper. "Wh-why isn't it playing right? Keith asked. "Well, it IS 10,00 years old. It must've gotten corrupted." "UUGGH! Look, we'll just go in, gun blazing, and wing it from there. That good with you?" Keith asked. "Uh, you sure that's the best idea?" "It's our only idea!" Keith said, throwing his hands in the air. I shrugged. "Alright. But at the first sign of trouble, I'm backing out and we make a new plan." Keith nodded. "Deal. Now, let's go mess with a giant dead planet eating monster." I gulped and mover the controls to Yellow. This was a terrible plan.  
  


-Time Skip-

By some miracle, we got into the Weblum mostly unharmed. I looked around."Oh, eww. This is disgusting." I stepped forward, and the ground squished beneath me. "Oh, oh man this is disgusting." "Look, I know this isn't ideal, but it's what we need to do to defeat Zarkon." Keith said, sounding exhausted. "But it so gross! And icky." "Hunk, are you gonna be okay?" I groaned uncertainly. "Are you going to be okay?" I sighed and nodded. "Yeah yeah, I am." Keith smiled "Good. I like being able to count on you. Besides, no one knows an explosive digestive tract like you." I gasped. "Did- did you just make a joke? Wow. Galra Keith is a lot funnier than regular Keith." 

Then a bunch of these little organisms started coming out of the walls. "Uhh, Hunk? what are those?" I summoned my bayard gun. "Uh, I don't know. Maybe they're part of the creatures digestive system? Dissolving the food and stuff." Keith nodded and lowered his sword. "Oh, okay. Wait a minute, we're in the stomach! They think WE are the food!" My eyes widened. "Oh shit." The animals got closer, and started circling us. "Wow, Hunk cursing, Never thought I'd see the day." Keith said, summoning his shield. "Yeah, we can be surprised later. Now we have to fight!" I started firing my gun, and creatures swarmed us. I heard Keith grunting and slashing near me, but I couldn't see him through the creatures. They eventually left, and I could see again. Keith was breathing heavily, and was covered in slime. "I. Hate. This." He said, catching his breath. "Where's the scaultrite? I'm tired of this." I pulled up the diagram on my wrist. "Well, we're in the first stomach, and we need to be in the third one. So we need to find a way to the third stomach." Keith sighed. "And how do we do that?" "Well, we'd have to get in its circulatory system, that way the blood flow could take us there." Keith nodded, and started walking around and poking things with his sword. He misstepped, and fell through a wall. "Wha- HUNK!" He yelled as he fell. "I'm coming buddy!" I yelled, running into the wall. We were in the blood stream, and I spotted Keith several yards ahead. "Good job Keith! you found the blood stream!" I said as I jetpacked over to him. "Great. Now how do we get to the third stomach?" He asked, and I shrugged. "No idea. Let's just see where this goes."

We headed down the stream, and Keith went through an entrance, but as I got closer, it started closing. "Uh Keith?" I asked, noticing the ever growing gap between us. "HUNk, MEET ME IN THE THIRD STOMACH!" He yelled as it sucked him away. I groaned. "Oh, I don't like blood slides."

Time Skip

We finally got out of the Weblum, with enough scautrite for the Teledauv, and headed back to the Castle. "Hey, so who was that Galra? Do you guys all know each other or something?" Keith rolled his eyes. "No. but good work back there Hunk. It' good to know that you have my back." "Aww, thanks Galra Keith. You're all right. I think turning Galra has made you a better human." Keith groaned. "I didn't just turn Galra!"


	12. Where's Shiro?

Time skip- right after the battle with Zarkon, when Thace sacrifices himself.

Pidge POV

"SHIRO? SHIRO!" Keith yelled. "Guys, Shiro's not responding." He said, panic seeping into my voice. "Keith, calm down." Lance said. "Calm down? CALM DOWN? SHIRO'S IN THERE!" "Keith, help me get Black. She's just dead in the water. We'll take her back to the Castle." Hunk said, moving Yellow towards Black. "Paladins, return to the Castle! We're preparing to wormhole!" Allura said into the comms. Keith and Hunk rushed to Black and carried her to the Castle. The second we landed, Keith jumped out of Red and ran to Black. "SHIRO! SHIRO!" He yelled, running into the jaw, me and the others not far behind him. Right before I got in there, he screamed. An inhuman, unholy, horrifying scream. Me and the others exchanged a look, and then ran into the lion with renewed energy. We found Keith standing in the cockpit, frozen, staring at an empty pilot chair. Allura gasped and covered her mouth as the rest of us stared in shock. Lance was the first to talk. "Keith.... I'm so sorry." 

That was all it took for him to break. Keith fell to his knees and sobs started shaking his body, big, fat tears falling down his face. I knelt down and wrapped my arm around his shoulders. He leaned into me silently, still crying. "Shiro's gone..." Hunk muttered. "Who's going to pilot the Black Lion now?" Allura asked, and Keith stood and whirled around to face her. "Really? That's what you're worried about? Not the fact that he's gone? You just lost a real person. he got captured by the Galra and was there for a year. He finally makes it back home, and then he gets sent into space by some magic lion, and gets thrown into a war with the people who tortured him! And you're worried about finding a new pilot? I can't believe you!" And stormed out of the lion. I sighed. "Give him time Princess. Shiro is the only family he has." "Yes, and without a body, we don't even know if he's dead. He could've been taken prisoner." Coran added. "But this is going to affect number 4 greatly." We all nodded in agreement. And each of us, one by one, left the lion.

A few hours later, I was wandering around the halls, when I heard clanging coming from the training room. Keith was in there, fighting the bot. He swung wildly with his sword, slashing at the bot who was advancing. He blocked a slash, then stabbed it through the chest. "FUCKING DIE ALREADY! LEAVE! LEAVE ME ALONE JUST LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE!" He screamed, stabbing the bot repeatedly. It disappeared and he backed away, breathing heavily. He wiped at his face a few times, and I realized that he was crying. "Just leave.." He whimpered. Then he shook his head. "ARGH! Begin training sequence 21!" Another bot dropped from the ceiling, and he got in a fighting stance, hefting his bayard. "Let's go bitch." And they charged at each other. 

I quietly stepped away, descending back down the hall. Keith had his way of coping. Destroy whatever he can and do it privately. Without James he was really... off. Defensive even. But not having James, Adam or Shiro must've really been doing a number on him. He seemed closed off lately, less cheery. But what were we going to do? Without Shiro, we have no Black Paladin. And without a Black Paladin, there's no Voltron. No Voltron, no savage butt-kickery of the bad Galra. We'd have to find another Black Paladin. But that could take deca-phoebs. We didn't have that kind of time. The universe didn't have that time.

Without realizing it, I had ended up in the kitchen, where Hunk was making something. "Oh! Hey Pidge. What's up?" I shrugged and leaned on the counter. "Nothing good. Whatcha doing?" "I'm baking. It calms me. If I'm lucky, I can make some cookies with these ingredients." He said, gesturing to the food placed all over the counters. "Comfort food, you know?" I shrugged. "Yeah. Need any help?" He shook his head. "Nah, I think I got it."

We were silent, Hunk moving around and baking, me sitting at the counter. "Hey, do you remember when we did this with our friends at the Garrison?" I smiled and sighed softly. "Yeah. Those were good times. Why?" "Well, Keith mentioned earlier, when we went to get the scaultrite, how he wondered what they were doing. If time passes differently in space than on Earth. If when we get back, it'll be less time for them than us." He said while mixing something. "Well, theoretically, it's possible. No one has ever traveled outside our solar system before, so therefore they've never had a chance to test the theory. But it could happen." "But what would the difference be? Seconds? Minutes? Days? Years? What if by the time we get back all of our families are gone? Or- or they've announced us a dead like they did with the Kerberos mission? I mean, you saw what they did to Shiro when he came back. What if they do that to us? And we become human science experiments?" Hunk said, increasing the speed of his mixing, causing some to spill. "Well, then they'll have to deal with five magic space lions trying to kill them. And when we make it back to Earth, they'll know we're not dead." I said, picking up the spilled batter with my finger and eating it. "And knowing our families, they're already looking for us. The Garrison will be leading an investigation into our disappearances, and because they've already lost three people, they'll probably make an even bigger deal about us. Plus we're kids, and technically I'm still a minor." Hunk raised an eyebrow. "You're surprisingly calm about this all. Why? I know you must be freaking out too." I shrugged. "It's happened before. We know Shiro, and we know Keith. Keith won't stop looking for him, and Shiro is to stubborn to die. We'll find him, we just need time. ?But Allura's right, we need to focus on Voltron right now. We have a duty to the universe out here." "But what about our duty to our families? Our other friends? Think about your mom, Pidge. She already lost your dad and Matt, now she's lost you too. All she has is Bae Bae. What is she going to do?" I sighed. "Hunk, I know, okay? I know. But that's why we have to stay out here. One, we owe it to the universe, because if Zarkon gets to Earth, we're all as good as dead. Two because we need to find Matt and my dad. Three, we need to find Shiro. We need to do all of those things, not necessarily in that order. But we can't do any of that from Earth. We need to be out ere, in space. With the lions." He sighed and set the bowl down. "Yeah, I know. Its just-" "Hunk." I said softly, placing my hand on his arm. "I get it. You want to be home. But we have to do this, stay out here, to protect our homes. So that when we go back, they're still there." He nodded and smiled softly. "Yeah. Thanks Pidge." I smiled back. "Any time. So, how about we try and make non-lethal cookies this time, alright?" Hunk rolled his eyes. "I'll try not to." And he went back to his baking. I smiled softly to myself. Hunk had a point. We might never make it back to see our families ever again. But if in us staying out here, defending the universe, we saved thousands of other families, it'd be worth it.


	13. Three Months

Kinkade POV

It's been three months. 

Three months since that big crash outside the Garrison. 

Three months since Keith, Lance, Pidge and Hunk went missing. 

One year since the Kerberos mission. 

And it's been terrible.

The Garrison has taken away our ability to leave the base or ride the hover bikes.

Adam fell into drinking again, and this time Mrs.Holt wasn't there to stop him. Iverson had to assign some Crutis guy to keep him sober during class. He just fell apart. First he lost Shiro, now he's lost Keith. During class, he'd look at a picture on his desk a lot, a sad smile on his face. Once, when I passed his desk, I saw that it was a picture of Shiro and Keith. They were leaning on a hover bike, big smiles on their faces.

Veronica was kind of a mess too. Lance was her "baby" brother, and Pidge was her best friend. She'd lost them both in one fell swoop. It took her a few weeks before she became more like her normal self.

James, James was the worst of them.

Those bright brown eyes Keith used to drone on and on about? They weren't so bright anymore. He seemed to just be drifting through life aimlessly. He still went to class, still had the best grades, he even became the best in the sims. But he didn't seem happy about it. He seemed to be going through the motions of life. He had no energy, no drive. All the life looked like it had been sucked right out of him.

Which I guess, it had been. Even though they were separate, him and Keith were always together. Texting, video chatting, calling, you name it. They did it. And ever day, James came to class with a smile on his face, pep in his step.

Now, he just looked depressed. And tired. Like he hadn't slept in weeks.Christmas was in a few days, and I knew that it'd be an especially hard time for him. They'd shared so many memories during that time, and I knew that they had to be replaying in his mind, over and over again.

Sometimes, he'd be looking at something on his phone, or someone would do something, and he'd smile, or even laugh while pulling out his phone. "Holy shit, I have to tell Keith." He'd say, tapping a few buttons, then his smile would fall. "Oh. Right." He mutter, putting it back away.

Yesterday, he'd even fallen asleep in class. And the teacher didn't even care. He was still the best student, and he did all his work on time. I poked him lightly, trying to wake him up. "James." I whispered. "James! James Griffin wake the fuck up right now!" I hissed. He brought his head up wearily. "Hmm? Oh, hey Ryan. What's up?" I stared at him in mild shock. He NEVER called me Ryan. Only Kinkade. Shit, he really was sleep deprived. "You fell asleep." I muttered. "It's the middle of class." "So? I did all the work." He said, sitting up and stretching. "And I have an A. I can afford to sleep for a few minutes." "James, have you been sleeping at all?" I asked, filled with concern. He had obvious bags under his eyes, and his shoulders were slumped. "Uh, sometimes." "James! What the hell? Why not?" I hissed, and he shrugged. "Don't know. I just can't sleep." "James, I know this is hard on you, but if you don't take care of yourself it's going to be even worse." He sighed. "I know, okay? I'm just.... worried. No one knows where Keith is. He hasn't been seen in 3 FUCKING MONTHS. I have no idea where he is, and I can't do any goddamn thing to find him because for some reason in the Garrison you have to stay through your college years." He said, voice starting to rise. "James, quiet down. We're in class." I whispered. He looked around, eyes going wide before he nodded. "Yeah, right. Sorry." He put his head on the table, covering it with his hands. "I'm just gonna..." And he dozed off. I looked at him sadly. This whole thing was tearing him apart.

Later, at lunch, I told the girls about it. "Well, it has been three months. And the police still don't have any leads." Veronica said. "Yeah, but have you seen him? I could put my entire closet into those bags under his eyes." Rizavi said. "He needs time to process. Every day he wakes up praying for some news, and every day he gets let down again." Ina added. "Well we need some way to cheer him up!" I insisted. "Christmas is in a week! We can't just let him be depressed all the time." RIzavi clapped her hands excitedly. "OOOH! I know! Sleepover!" Me and Veronica exchanged a look, then stared at her oddly. "What? We know he's not sleeping, right? Sooo, if we have him spend the night with us, we'll probably be able to find out WHY he's not sleeping." Ina pointed at her. "She's right. And maybe sleepy James is more open than regular James."

So we set our plan into action. Rizavi "asked" James to hang out with us in my room after class, and he "agreed". (Read-she told him he was coming). He showed up a little bit after eight, looking more tired than ever, and completely miserable. "There he is! How ya doing James?" Veronica asked. "My boyfriend has been missing for three months. How do you think I'm doing?" He asked sarcastically. "Okay. Well, apparently we're doing this the hard way. James, this is an intervention." Rizavi stated. "You've been super moody lately, you're obviously not sleeping, and you barely talk to us anymore." "Maybe I don't want to." James snapped, glaring at her. "James, we're worried about you. We know you're worried about Keith, but you have to take care of yourself too." Veronica said. "I am! And I do sleep! It's just hard sometimes." James insisted, muttering the last part. "That's bullshit and you know it." Rizavi said. "No Nadia, it's not." James said. "Oh, using the serious names now, are we? Well, Griffin, you need to pull your shit together. You're barely sleeping, I haven't seen you eat a proper meal in months, you barely talk to anyone, and you look downright miserable all the time." Veronica said, crossing her arms. 

"WELL MAYBE I AM!" James yelled. "What do you want me to do? Pretend that I'm okay? My fucking boyfriend is missing. I haven't seen him in MONTHS. The police aren't even looking for him, and the Garrison certainly isn't going to. The cops say he might've just left, not giving a fuck anymore, but I know Keith. He wouldn't do that. No one, NO ONE has heard anything from him. He- he doesn't pick up his phone, he doesn't text back, call, nothing! It's like he never existed! I haven't seen him since August. I don't even know if he's alive. He-he could be lying somewhere in the dessert for all I know. He could've crashed the bike, gotten lost, been kidnapped, I-I don't know. I don't know where he is. And I can barely think about anything but him, because everywhere I look I'm reminded of him! I can't go anywhere without missing him, or-or wishing he wad there. I can barely be in the same room as Adam, and to make matters worse, it's been a year since Shiro died! He's gone and Keith- Keith's... god I don't even know. He could be hurt, or dead, and-and I might've lost the love of my life." James said, running his hands through his hair. "And-and just a few weeks ago, I found his sketchpad. There so many drawings he made, and he never got a chance to show me. There-there's drawings of you guys, Shiro, Adam, Lance, Hunk, Pidge, his family, me, US. He drew them all, and they're in this big back sketchpad under his bed and-and he put everything in there. Drawings of the first weeks of school, Cornyval, Halloween, Christmas. Of-of us kissing, holding hands, the cookies we made and the seashells we found. Of the ship, the bikes, the Garrison. The Ferris wheel and the rings. Almost everything we've ever done has been drawn in that book. And-and I try not to think of it, of him, but it just makes me miss him more. Like-like I'm betraying him by moving on with my life and not looking for him. I love him, and it-it HURTS, not being able to see him." James said, voice breaking as he sat on the edge of my bed. "It hurts." He whispered, putting his head in his hands.

I sat next to James and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "James... I'm so sorry. We had no idea." Veronica says softly. "I-I barely sleep anymore. I keep expecting him to text back or-or call, but he doesn't." "Text back?" Ina questions. James unlocks his phone and shows her the screen, and her face falls. "Oh, James..."

There's a trail of unanswered or read text, each saying the same thing.

I love you

I love you

I love you

I love you

I love you

Over and over. I count two a day. "I kept sending them, thinking he'll see them. That maybe he'll answer this time. Every morning, and every night. I keep waiting for a response." James murmurs. Veronica wraps an arm around him an pulls him into a hug, which he falls into. "James, he's going to come back. He always does. You know he loves you, right?" She asked softly, and he nodded. "He's head over heels. And I can guarantee you, wherever he is, he's thinking of you, and how he's gonna get back home to you. You're gonna see him again, I promise." She said, and he nodded. "Now, get some sleep. You know he'd want what's best for you, and tight now, that's some sleep you idiot." She said, pushing him away. He laughed softly and smiled. "Yeah, you're right. Thanks Ronny." She smiled and patted him on the shoulder. "Thanks guys. Um, ima head to my room. No offense, but I'm not gonna get any sleep with you guys around." They smiled and bid their friend farewell.

The mood in the room was pretty damp after that, and me and Veronica ended up leaving. In the way to my room, I passed James's and opened the door. He had forgotten his phone, and I wanted to return it. I smiled to myself when I saw that he was fast asleep, breathing softly. He needed this.

I just hoped Veronica was right. Because of Keith didn't come back, I don't even want to know what would happen to James and Adam.


	14. What Now?

Allura POV

I sighed when I left the hangar. Yes, it was a terrible thing that Shrio was gone, and we'd all miss him, but we didn't have the luxury of having time to properly mourn. We had to free the rest of the universe from Zarkon's forces. Even though he was dead, the Galra Empire was still intact. I headed towards the bridge, hoping to find Coran or another rebel leader, to discuss plans for moving forward. Instead, I found Kolivan, sitting with his head in his hands. I approached him cautiously. Even though they had proved to be valuable allies, that didn't mean I had to trust them. 

"Kolivan, is something wrong?" I asked, sitting next to him. He looked at me, and his all-yellow eyes seemed sad. "Antok- Antok, he is-WAS my son. And that WITCH took him away." He spat. I gasped. Members of the Blade had families in there as well? And so many of them had lost their liveds in the fight against Zarkon. "I'm sorry." I muttered. "There was nothing anyone could've done. We knew the risks when I let him join." He said, shaking his head. "I should've never let him join." 'Well, what about his mother?" He shook his head. "Died in a raid. Senteries." "I'm so sorry. That must be so hard for you." Seeing Kolivan so broken up, so vurnerable, it was like I was talking to a different person. "It's okay Princess. This is what happens in war. But he put the mission above all else, which is the way of our people. At least his sacrifice wasn't in vain. We did stop the witch, and you and the paladins killed Zarkon. Hopefully now no more innocent blood will be shed." He said, a sad look on his face. Then he cleared his throat and stood. "Well, I must head back. Several of our operatives were injured, and I need to make sure that they're okay." I nodded and stood as well. "Of course. I hope they heal swiftly." He smiled softly. "Thanks you Princess. I hope you find your Black Paladin soon." And with that he left, his face back to the stoic, unmoving expression, so unlike the pain on it just moments before. 

I sighed and rubbed my temple. These Galra were so complicated. But he was right. We'd need a lot of luck to find a new Black Paladin.

_Time skip- next day_

I waited impatiently in the lounge for the paladins to arrive. I had alerted them to be here bright and early so we could discuss our current paladin situation. "Where are they?" I asked. Coran shrugged and twirled his mustache. "No idea. Probably still asleep. I did see number four training rather late last night. And Hunk and Pidge were baking." "Baking? Baking? they should all be training! Following Keith's example." I shook my head. How were they supposed to defend the universe if they couldn't fight? "Allura, Keith is not training for fun. He misses his brother, and is angry that he's gone. He's directing his energy towards the bot instead of actually dealing with his emotions." Coran said. "Yeah, that sounds like Keith." Someone said, and I almost jumped. "Who's there?" Coran called out, a worried expression on his face. Previously, my father's AI had been corrupted and the Castle had gone rouge and started talking, nearly killing us. We weren't particularly fond of hearing voices. "Me." Pidge said, sitting up form one of the couches. "Oh! Pidge! I didn't see you there. apologies." I said, and she shrugged, throwing off her blanket. "It's okay. I was hidden. But yeah, that's what Keith does. He's not really a "talk about my feelings" kinda guy. Lance has an extensive face care regimen, and Hunk just likes sleeping in. I can wake them up it you want." I nodded. "Please." she smiled devilishly and tapped a few buttons on her phone.

Moments later, Hunk came running in, a frantic expression on his face. "Where is it? Where's the puppy?" He asked, looking around. "There isn't one. But that's the easiest way to wake you up." Pidge said with a smile, and Hunk frowned. "That's mean. You don't joke about puppies Pidge." She shrugged and sat. 

Lance soon came in, with a bright smile and a pep in his step. "Hey guys. Hey Princess." He said with a wink and finger guns. "How exactly did you wake him up?" I whispered to Pidge. "Got his phone to play "Hips Don't Lie." It's his favorite song, and he always has to sing along with it. Puts him in a good mood." I nodded and turned toward the door, expecting Keith to walk in. But he didn't. "Number five, would you happen to know where Keith is?" Coran asked. Pidge shook her head. "No. You can't track Keith." "Then go find him." Lance said. "It may be Mullet, but if we're having a team meeting we need to have him here." Hunk nodded. "Yeah, right. Wasn't he training? We could look there." "No, I passed it on my way here. He's not there." Lance said. "Is it possible that he's just in his room?" I suggested. "It's possible. Not likely, but possible." Pidge said. "Well should we go look for him? Make sure he's okay and all that?" Lance asked. "No, we can just text him." Hunk said, pulling out his phone. "Yeah, but I don't have is number." Hunk looked up in surprise. "Really? We're in space and have all known each other for years and you don't have his number?" "What?" Lance asked, throwing his hands in the air. "We weren't on the best terms back at the Garrison." Pidge scoffed. "That's an understatement, but okay. Hunk, is he responding to you?" He shook his head. "No. He might just be asleep."

Keith chose that moment to walk in, hands shoved deep in his pockets and shoulders slouched. "There you are number four! We were just starting to worry about you." "I'm fine." He snapped, then sighed. "Let's just get this over with." I raised an eyebrow. "Alright. Now, I know that we're still recovering from yester quintant, but we need to plan out how we're going to move forward. And the first part of that will be finding a new Black Paladin." I started. "What? No!" Keith yelled. "Shiro isn't dead!" "Keith, the cockpit was empty. He can't be alive." Hunk reasoned. "Yes he is!" Keith insisted. "And I'm going to find him!" "Keith, I want to believe as much as you do that Shiro is alive, but its not possible." I said. "I'm sorry, but he's gone." "No he isn't! We though he was gone before! We thought he was dead before, but he wasn't!" "Keith, please, it's not worth it." Lance said. "No! I'm not giving up on Shiro! He's the only family I have left!" Keith yelled. "Number four, we don't have time to go and look for him." Coran said, stepping forward and putting his hand on Keith's shoulder. "We have a duty to the universe." Keith wrenched himself away. "My duty is to those I care about! I can't believe you guys! You're acting like he doesn't matter! I'm going to find him. Just you wait." He growled before storming out. Lance sighed. "Well that went well."


End file.
